Congregation and Clergy Support

The chaplains to the retired clergy of the diocese provide an ongoing ministry of support and connection. The chaplains to the retired clergy are priests of the diocese and host spring and fall gatherings of retirees, spouses and surviving spouses; publish a newsletter, "Now What?"; and aid in communication about life issues among the community of the retired--canonically and physically resident--in the diocese.

Co-chairs of the chaplains to the retired clergy are the Rev. Robert Edson, the Rev. Billie Mae Gordon and the Rev. Skip Windsor.

The Clergy Continuing Education Fund provides grants to active canonically resident priests and deacons in good standing to assist them in meeting the costs of continuing education that is supportive of their skills for ministries with the congregations, diocesan-affiliated institutions and mission work of the Diocese of Massachusetts.

The diocesan Transition Ministry Office (formerly known as Clergy Deployment) coordinates the clergy transition process for congregations within the diocese, keeping in close contact with congregational leadership teams and final candidates for positions, and deploying human, financial and programmatic resources as needed. It oversees the administrative process for clergy entering or leaving work in the diocese, including oversight of the background check and clergy licensing processes, the production and retention of Covenant of Ministry documents, also known as Letters of Agreement, and the exit interview process for departing and retiring clergy.

Jesus took himself apart often in his ministry, to pray, to be with God, to be renewed. The Clergy Sabbatical Program sponsored by the bishops seeks to ensure that clergy in the Diocese of Massachusetts have an opportunity for a time of sabbath, for a renewal of spirit and a reaffirmation of life with God. A sabbatical can offer opportunities for creativity and discovery for both the clergyperson and the congregation.

The Clergy Spouse and Partner Group is a forum for people from this peer group to discuss issues in their relationships, both inside and outside the church. The group meets monthly at the Bethany House of Prayer/Bethany Convent of the Order of St. Anne in Arlington.

The Congregational Consultants are a group of knowledgeable, experienced and dedicated lay and ordained individuals from congregations throughout the diocese who serve other congregations.

The Congregational Consultants assist congregations in a variety of ways, including as facilitators at vestry retreats, in mutual ministry reviews, strategic planning and conflict management or as consultants on business, property and compliance issues.

The deacon’s service is a sign or sacrament of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. The diaconate is one of three distinct orders of ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church—there are deacons, priests and bishops—and an individual becomes a deacon by being ordained by a bishop after completing a course of study and formation.

The Office for Ordained Vocations works closely with the bishops and the Commission on Ministry in the recruitment, discernment and formation of postulants and candidates for ordained leadership as deacons and priests in the Episcopal Church. For information contact the Rev. Canon Edie Dolnikowski, Canon for Ordained Vocations, at edie@diomass.org.